Thoughts on Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy getting fired by Rahm
I was feeling a bit under the weather on Tuesday, so I wasn't really able to comment on the big news - at least in Chicago. And today, I had to work to make up for all the stuff I didn't do on Tuesday, so I'm only getting into this now.
For those who missed it, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired on the morning of December 1. And by the looks of things, McCarthy was as surprised as a lot of other people. As recently as Monday, November 30, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he had his back. According to Fox Chicago, McCarthy was making rounds on Chicago morning news, but just as he was wrapping up his segment on Fox, he got a call telling him to cancel all the morning media appearances. And, by 9:00 AM, it was official - he was fired. By all accounts, McCarthy didn't look very happy as he left the City Hall.
The front page of today's RedEye conveyed the situation quite brilliantly.
You may recall from my earlier posts, McCarthy's firing was one of the protesters' demands. And, as soon as he was fired, everybody and their maiden aunt commented that the former superintendent was just a sacrificial lamb, a way to appease the protesters and reduce tensions.
I'm not saying they're wrong. But I did want to add something. It's important to remember that, while the Chicago Police Department's handling of the aftermath of the shooting of Laquan MacDonald was the straw that broke the camel's bag, complaints against McCarthy have been mounting for a while.
The last two years have seen the rate of violent crimes shoot up. CPD was caught trying to manipulate the numbers to make the situation look better. Back in July, McCarthy held a "listening tour" that was supposed to be an outreach to the community, yet it shut out everyone but residents handpicked by McCarthy. And African-American aldermen have been complaining for months that McCarthy wasn't taking their concerns seriously - while many white aldermen praised him for his responsiveness. During this year's budget hearings, it got to the point where Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), one of Emanuel's most steadfast loyalists, got nearly tearful as she demanded that McCarthy communicate with the black aldermen.
So the demand to fire McCarthy didn't start with the release of the tape of Laquan's shooting. It has been brewing for a long time, slowly but surely simmering until it reached the boiling point.
Now that McCarthy has been fired... I don't envy anyone who would take over the position. As countless commentators pointed out, CPD's problems go beyond just one superintendent. This is a department where a significant chunk of the officers see themselves under siege, who feel that they are fighting a losing battle and their superiors aren't watching their back. Which is why, for example, the Chicago lodge of the Fraternity of Police helped raised money for Jason Van Dyke's bail.
Decent chunks of Chicago's South and West sides, and even parts of North Side neighborhoods like Rogers Park, Albany Park, Uptown and West Ridge are, at best, wary of cops. The mistrust goes back decades.
Those things won't change overnight. Or even over a year. It would require some fundamental changes that would meet resistance from all sides. And, quite frankly, I don't think anyone who would get the job would do everything the protesters want.
Plus, there is the fact that the new superintendent would be expected to reverse the increases in violent crime - something which no one has really figured out how to do. Not in the way that would apply consistently across the board. McCarthy himself was credited with being a major contributing force to reducing crime in his native New York City, and later in Newark, but he wasn't able to accomplish that in Chicago.
I do sincerely wish the next superintendent the best of luck, because boy would he or she need every bit of it.
(Edited to add: In an official press release, Ald Roderick Sawyer (6th), the chairman of the Black Caucus, announced that African-American aldermen and city treasurer Kurt Summers "will host community town hall meetings around the areas we represent to begin a conversation about what we expect from our police force" sometime in the future. I'm really interested to see where this goes)
For those who missed it, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired on the morning of December 1. And by the looks of things, McCarthy was as surprised as a lot of other people. As recently as Monday, November 30, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he had his back. According to Fox Chicago, McCarthy was making rounds on Chicago morning news, but just as he was wrapping up his segment on Fox, he got a call telling him to cancel all the morning media appearances. And, by 9:00 AM, it was official - he was fired. By all accounts, McCarthy didn't look very happy as he left the City Hall.
The front page of today's RedEye conveyed the situation quite brilliantly.
You may recall from my earlier posts, McCarthy's firing was one of the protesters' demands. And, as soon as he was fired, everybody and their maiden aunt commented that the former superintendent was just a sacrificial lamb, a way to appease the protesters and reduce tensions.
I'm not saying they're wrong. But I did want to add something. It's important to remember that, while the Chicago Police Department's handling of the aftermath of the shooting of Laquan MacDonald was the straw that broke the camel's bag, complaints against McCarthy have been mounting for a while.
The last two years have seen the rate of violent crimes shoot up. CPD was caught trying to manipulate the numbers to make the situation look better. Back in July, McCarthy held a "listening tour" that was supposed to be an outreach to the community, yet it shut out everyone but residents handpicked by McCarthy. And African-American aldermen have been complaining for months that McCarthy wasn't taking their concerns seriously - while many white aldermen praised him for his responsiveness. During this year's budget hearings, it got to the point where Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), one of Emanuel's most steadfast loyalists, got nearly tearful as she demanded that McCarthy communicate with the black aldermen.
So the demand to fire McCarthy didn't start with the release of the tape of Laquan's shooting. It has been brewing for a long time, slowly but surely simmering until it reached the boiling point.
Now that McCarthy has been fired... I don't envy anyone who would take over the position. As countless commentators pointed out, CPD's problems go beyond just one superintendent. This is a department where a significant chunk of the officers see themselves under siege, who feel that they are fighting a losing battle and their superiors aren't watching their back. Which is why, for example, the Chicago lodge of the Fraternity of Police helped raised money for Jason Van Dyke's bail.
Decent chunks of Chicago's South and West sides, and even parts of North Side neighborhoods like Rogers Park, Albany Park, Uptown and West Ridge are, at best, wary of cops. The mistrust goes back decades.
Those things won't change overnight. Or even over a year. It would require some fundamental changes that would meet resistance from all sides. And, quite frankly, I don't think anyone who would get the job would do everything the protesters want.
Plus, there is the fact that the new superintendent would be expected to reverse the increases in violent crime - something which no one has really figured out how to do. Not in the way that would apply consistently across the board. McCarthy himself was credited with being a major contributing force to reducing crime in his native New York City, and later in Newark, but he wasn't able to accomplish that in Chicago.
I do sincerely wish the next superintendent the best of luck, because boy would he or she need every bit of it.
(Edited to add: In an official press release, Ald Roderick Sawyer (6th), the chairman of the Black Caucus, announced that African-American aldermen and city treasurer Kurt Summers "will host community town hall meetings around the areas we represent to begin a conversation about what we expect from our police force" sometime in the future. I'm really interested to see where this goes)